Castaways of the Loop
Capital: The Great Western Waste (Region 62)
The Group of Seventeen
D9 | M6 | E7 | F2 | I4
Round Five
Actions
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[Diplomacy] Press Claim on Region 63 (TN 12, result 15Diplomacy 9, +1 from Renown 1, success)
Loop-born emissaries continue to travel back and forth between Anyport and the farming communities dwelling on the slopes of Mons Orochos. Though some remain wary of the outsiders, most are won over by the Castaways' sincerity: they present themselves as neighbors, not colonizers or conquerors. They offer trade in goods the local farmers can't easily make themselves, as well as a path to the stars for those few who are dissatisfied with a pastoral life in the mountain's shadow. In exchange, they ask only for food and stories, two commodities the Orochon people are happy to share. There is no unified government to reach an agreement with, but one by one the chiefs and elder councils reach accords. -
[Diplomacy] Raise Reputation with WTU (TN 14, result 14Diplomacy 9, no modifiers, success)
The Group of Seventeen takes the Union auditor's critiques to heart: it's becoming more and more clear to them that the simple trust-based system which worked for a small community is struggling under the weight of their increasing - and increasingly diverse - population. It's also becoming clear that few of them have much experience setting the kind of policy they'll need. WTU officials are invited to advisory positions as the Group begins attempting to formulate laws and regulations... not to mention the bodies responsible for enforcing them. -
[Economy] Construct an Arcology in Region 62 (Stevens Research Institute, +1 to Investigations)
-Sub-actions: claim 1 treasure from Project Sunrise. Claim 1 Renown from Built to Last.
Todds have studied the Loop since the very beginning, when Todd 2 reportedly spent half of his first day out hammering on the boundary (both figuratively and literally) in an effort to get back inside. In the early years, they improvised spectrometers in the back of a hollowed-out truck; later, they imported tools and equipment from across Tekhum. As of today, they have the Stevens Research Institute. Built by Todds, for Todds, the Institute is one part research lab, one part observatory, and one part living complex. The facility spans several square klicks, most of it underground; an observation tower stretches almost a thousand meters into the air, leaning against the surface of the Loop itself to allow for closer examination of Dometown. Filled with the finest scientific instruments the Castaways can build or buy, thousands of Todds live and work here, busily delving into the mysteries of the Loop... and any other mysteries that happen to cross their path. -
[Economy] Buyout TP 42.1 (Charmed Textiles) (TN 12, result 18Economy 7, -1 distance penalty)
Loop-born merchants open negotiations with cloth merchants in the Flowering Lands of Sansar, seeking to purchase large quantities of enchanted fabric to offer their northern neighbors - specifically, fabrics enchanted to warm the wearer and stave off the bitter chill of a Veehran highland winter. -
[Intrigue] Investigate the alleged Khylokian raid on New Kildora (spending 1 treasure, TN unknown, result 12Intrigue 4, +1 from BRG Rep 1, +1 from treasure; Cultural Identity applies)
It's not unusual for Khylokian raiders to attack a spaceport - they've been ranging across Tekhum ever since the Emperor saw fit to give them Imperial engines. What is highly unusual is for the Reign of Blood to deny responsibility. Todd 49186 smells a rat (figuratively speaking, no offense meant to any Durats or Jy'mar) and persuades the Logistics and Rationing Group to support an independent investigation into the attack. Is the Reign of Blood being framed? Were the raiders renegade Khylokians... or were they even Khylokians at all? Todd and his partner Rhonda 49199 mean to answer all these questions and more.
Non-Actions
- Resist and hinder all unsupported buyouts
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Resist and hinder all unsupported conversions
News and Rumors
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As the Vesperite military campaign in the southern desert draws to a close, Captain Tina 21135 resigns her commission, citing ethical concerns over the Group of Seventeen's recent policy decisions. A veteran with decades of experience fending off desert marauders and scavengers, Tina 21135 was appointed to command the Group of Seventeen's first (and so far only) interstellar warship just over ten years ago; she is well-respected among the local militias, and her resignation catalyzes a wave of protests. The Castaways have never been shy about trading weapons and vehicles to raiders, if that's what it takes to convince them to take their raids elsewhere, but fighting alongside them as they sack and conquer someone else's home is seen as several steps too far. Some accuse the Group of Seventeen of sacrificing human lives in the name of territorial ambitions, and even the more moderate voices agree that the Group of Seventeen's mandate ought to be re-examined now that they stand among the Elect.
In response, the Group agrees to draft a strict military code of conduct, clearly laying out what is expected of the militias and what they can and cannot legally be ordered to do. Some push for larger reforms, such as oversight on the Group itself, but the response is noncommittal. Skeptics doubt the Group will willingly give up power, but others point out that as their membership turns over, new Speakers can be elected on platforms of reform...
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Todd 35348 theorizes the strange phenomenon affecting the souls of the Loop-born is some form of quantum entanglement, linking them to their past selves. Though plausible, the hypothesis proves difficult to test, much less harness, and for a while it seems this avenue of inquiry may be a dead end. In 2047 a breakthrough is made from an unexpected source: Marge 45112, who has spent the last several years investigating a baffling yet persistent series of fuel budgeting errors on Loop-born spacecraft on behalf of the Logistics and Rationing Group. Upon hearing of the entanglement theory, she conducts a series of brief tests and determines that spacecraft carrying Loop-born use slightly more fuel - or sometimes slightly less - than projected only when their counterparts are present inside the Loop. The mechanism escapes her, but the correlation is clear; she turns the matter over to her more scientifically inclined colleagues. A group of Todds quickly determine that the entanglement phenomenon affects the body as well as the soul: Loop-born remain affected by a fraction of Veehra's gravity no matter how far they travel from the planet, somehow linked to their counterpart standing on Veehran soil. The effect is minor - it could not have gone unnoticed for fourteen years of space travel otherwise - but unmistakable once they know to look. Todds have yet to decipher the practical implications; the Marges are busy overhauling their navigation algorithms and budgeting spreadsheets to account for as many as seventeen distinct time-dependent vectors affecting every ship.
Additional Notes
Treasure: 1/5
Spent this round: 1
Passive Treasure Income: 1/round
Military Units: 4/6
- Anyport Home Defense Militia, led by Cdr. Rhonda 28417 (ground)
- Orid-clan mercenaries, led by Amun Orid
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Sakar-clan mercenaries, led by Keti Sakar
- Drone flagship First to Fly, helmed by Cpt. Tina 21135 (space)
Organizations
- EMP: Reputation 0, 0 favors
- WTU: Reputation 2, 0 favors
- BRG: Reputation 1, 0 favors
Renown 1